Tasted on draft at FoBAB 2011. Pours opaque, coffee black with a thin brown head that leaves a thin collar of lace. The nose is sweet vermouth and bourbon with vanilla, coffee, and milk chocolate. The flavor is the same with sweet vermouth, vanilla, coconut, coffee, and milk chocolate. This is really cool. It smells and tasted just like a Manhattan cocktail. The body is full and creamy with light carbonation and a long sweet vermouth finish. I found out, after the fact, that I got to taste the barrel aged Manhattan that was made in this barrel at the Violet Hour. I think that this is very cool.

Draft pour at GTMW 2013. Thrilled to see this one available. I was a big fan of the Violet Hour when I lived in Chicago. Taking a date there will get you laid unless she sucks, in which case you should not date her anymore. That oneís for free, fellas. This one pours a deep, opaque brown, near black, with a very small brown ring around the top. The aroma doesnít quite match the flavor, which is pretty much perfect. Notes of roasted malts, chocolate, oak, cocoa, molasses, vanilla, dark fruits (different than what I get in other imperial stouts, probably because of the bitters and vermouth)- I canít tell if itís sweeter than regular BCS or just a somewhat different brand of sweetness. Definitely seems a little more boozy, even though itís about the same. Full-bodied, with a rich, decadent, warming, coating mouthfeel and modest carbonation. Delicious. This made me happy.

On tap at 2013 GTMW, pours jet black with a thick brown head, I enjoyed several glasses of this thanks to the brewer handing out pitchers of this around their tent, thanks! Aroma was of typical BCCS with a ton of chocolate fudge and vanilla, the flavor is much of the same with a little bit of spice mixed in with the chocolate and vanilla sweetness, Iím a sucker for this stuff.

Sampled at Fobab 2011. Black with a beige head. Rich aromas bourbon some fruit. I could see it as marchino cherries. Bitter roast and chocolate sweetness with cherries. Booze in the finish. The cherries arenít overwhelming but the booze is a little more. Decent but Iíd rather do other versions over this one. 8/3/8/3/15

8/11/12. GTMW. Oily black pour with a small tan head, less of a head than usual BCS. In general, in all aspects, this mostly strikes me as sweeter than regular/most BCS. The aroma shows some of the usual BCS aspects - chocolate, fudge, bourbon, wood, coffee, etc. - but with more sweetness, perhaps the vermouth, extra whiskey, etc. The flavor is much the same and the sweetness comes through to me even more. Still pretty tasty and definitely unique. Props to GI.

Tap at GTMW. Dark black pour, very little carbonation and a slightly subdued and sweeter aroma of the normal BCS. Flavor is just a hint slightly sweet vermouth and whiskey blended with chocolate youíd expect from the normal BCS. Way more mellow than the regular version, and very enjoyable.

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